Feb. 20, 2004
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| TIPOFF: 7:08 p.m. CST | ||||
| ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,611). Opened in 1972, and in its final season as Mizzou's basketball venue. MU is 279-101 (.734) here alltime, including 8-18 (.308) vs. Big 12 ranked opponents. | ||||
| RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400, KLIK-AM 1240 (David Lile, play-by-play/Kerensa Barr, color) and available to affiliates of the Tiger Radio Network. Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: Mizzou Sports Network [see box on page 3 for clearances]. Chris Gervino, play-by-play; Gary Link, color; Kevin Schenk, producer. | ||||
| SERIES: Kansas State leads, 32-31, yet Mizzou is 18-8 in Columbia. K-State has won the last five games, and has been ranked in each of them. MU's last win in Columbia came on Jan. 20, 2001. | ||||
| RANKINGS: MU is unranked; Kansas State is ranked No. 8 in both polls. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 97-76 at MU (sixth season) and 162-101 overall (ninth season).
Kansas State: Deb Patterson (Rockford '79), 146-92 at KSU and overall (eighth season). |
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MIZZOU WOMEN LOOK FOR KEY TOP-10 WIN VS. KANSAS STATE
The Missouri women's basketball team (13-10, 4-8 Big 12) will look to post its first home win in three weeks on Sunday, when the Tigers welcome No. 8/8-ranked Kansas State (20-3, 11-1) to the Hearnes Center.
? ? ? Sunday's game will be the last of five straight home games against teams ranked in the nation's top 25, and comes against a Wildcat squad that registered a 36-point win - K-State's largest win over the Tigers in 28 years - in Manhattan in both teams' Big 12 opener on Jan. 7.
? ? ? MU is coming off a heartbreaking five-point loss to No. 9/9 Texas Tech on Tuesday at the Hearnes Center.
MORE ON KANSAS STATE
The Wildcats are riding a seven-game winning streak dating back to their only Big 12 loss to date, an 81-63 setback at Nebraska on Jan. 24. The triumvirate of senior C Nicole Ohlde (16.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg), junior F Kendra Wecker (16.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and junior G Laurie Koehn (13.9 ppg, 3.3 3FG/gm.) leads Kansas State. The Wildcats are ranked in the top 10 in the nation in five categories (offense, margin, assists, FG Pct., 3FG Pct.).
Evan Unrau: THE BIG 12'S MOST VERSATILE PLAYER
Senior All-America candidate Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) is the engine that pulls the Tigers' train, leading the team with her scoring and rebounding averages of 17.4 points and 9.0 rebounds a game. Unrau leads the Big 12 in rebounding, and is third in scoring. In addition, the forward leads the league with 11 double-doubles, including six in Big 12 play. For the latest on Unrau, please refer to page 2.
? ? ? On top of her scoring and rebounding prowess, Unrau is ranked among the Big 12's top players in eight of the 12 categories the league office tracks weekly, making her arguably the Big 12 Conference's MVP (Most Versatile Player). That is one more than any other player in the league; Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde, Colorado's Randie Wirt, UT's Tiffany Jackson and Baylor's Steffanie Blackmon are ranked in seven. Here are Unrau's league ranks:
* Scoring 3rd 17.4 ppg * Rebounding 1st 9.0 rpg * Free-Throw Pct. 14th 77.2% * 3-Point FG Pct. 8th 39.6% * 3-Point FG Made/Gm. 10th 1.57 3fgpg * Assist/TO Ratio 14th 1.23 * Off. Rebounds 1st 3.74 orpg * Def. Rebounds 5th 5.26 drpg
LAST TIME OUT: #9/9 TEXAS TECH 73, MIZZOU 68
Despite trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, the Missouri women's basketball team battled back to within one of No. 9/9 Texas Tech in the closing seconds Tuesday night at the Hearnes Center. An Erin Grant driving layup with 10 seconds left, though provided for the winning margin in a 73-68 Lady Raider win.
CLOSE HOME LOSSES HAVE TIGERS SAYING, 'WHAT IF?'
It's always too late to play "What If...", but it bears noting that "if" the Tigers would have won their four home Big 12 games against Kansas, Nebraska, #11 Colorado and #9 Texas Tech - games Mizzou lost by an average of 3.8 points, and games in which the Tigers were not at full strength - then the Tigers would currently be tied for third in the Big 12 with an 8-4 record. More importantly, the resultant winning percentage would have propelled Mizzou all the way to a current No. 10 in the WBCA RPI.
STRONG SCHEDULE HELPING TIGERS
Mizzou is listed at No. 38 as of Tuesday in the RPI coordinated by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, and despite the Tigers' recent struggles are by no means out of the running for postseason play. Much of that is due to MU's strong schedule, which is ranked No. 6 in the country by the WBCA.
? ? ? MU's only non-conference losses were to SMS, who leads the Missouri Valley and is just outside both polls this week, and UW-Green Bay, who leads the Horizon League. Two other Tiger opponents - Austin Peay (Ohio Valley) and Miami [Ohio] (Mid-American) - also lead their respective conferences.
RANK-AND-FILE THIS
Last Saturday's game at Oklahoma State was the only one in a four-game stretch in which the Tigers did NOT play a ranked opponent. In addition, Sunday's matchup is the last of five straight games against ranked squads.
? ? ? Although five straight games at home against ranked teams is a challenge, it likely won't match the difficulty faced by the 2001-02 squad. That team, which went 14-15, including 9-6 at Hearnes, had six games in an eight-game home stretch against ranked teams - all Big 12 opposition. MU's only win in that span came in its last home win over a ranked team until two weeks ago: Jan. 9, 2002, against then-No. 10 Texas Tech.